The last couple of days have demonstrated exactly how dire the situation is for INDYCAR with regard to the removal of online streaming for 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. It’s embarassing for Versus, it’s embarassing for INDYCAR, and it’s a complete insult to the sport’s most diehard fans.

Wait — how can it be an insult to Versus when it’s not even a Versus TV weekend, you ask? The answer is that Versus is the entity responsible for all of this through their decision to force INDYCAR to remove streaming video from Race Control this season.

Here’s the situation that fans have faced thus far in the season opening weekend.

Yesterday, “connectivity issues” (as reported by INDYCAR) caused Race Control to go up and down constantly. Many fans couldn’t connect to it all day; those who managed to get through found coverage to be spotty at best. IMS Radio never worked through Race Control at all, and at the alternate streaming site (http://livestream.com/indycarradio) it was available but was inconsistent. A number of fans gave up on trying to keep tabs on the practice sessions at all.

Today, the connectivity issues were resolved, and we got our first look at the Race Control product that we’ll be living with for the 2011 season. Timing and scoring was consistently lagging (which was demonstrated through the team updates arriving via Twitter, which itself is notoriously slightly behind real time). And to add insult to injury, the track diagram and radio coverage that are meant to suffice to replace streaming video were being interrupted frequently to display that annoying iRacing ad that we’ve come to know all too well over the past year or so. Receiving advertising as part of a free product is understandable and accepted, but oversaturation unquestionably has the exact opposite of its intended effect. (Aside: champion-level INDYCAR Nation members reportedly were not subjected to the advertising, which is completely fair.) And then, at the end of each session, Race Control is dumping users out before timing and scoring has even caught up to the final times and before the radio broadcast has finished.

As if this wasn’t bad enough on its own, INDYCAR’s attempt to bury this change (which was only mentioned once at the bottom of a barely related news article on the INDYCAR website) has resulted in a number of fans having sat down at their computers to watch the action this weekend and been gobsmacked to learn (from other fans, not from INDYCAR) that streaming video is no longer available.

Meanwhile, Formula 1’s second practice session and qualifying were available on SPEED this weekend, and the other two practice sessions were available via a high-quality stream at speed.com. And NASCAR always has video of all of its sessions available one way or another as well.

This situation has left at-home fans feeling like the least important commodity that INDYCAR has, and it absolutely must be resolved. It could very well be the single largest fan retention issue that INDYCAR has faced since reunification, and every action with regard to it thus far has been a bungle. The contract says that streaming video isn’t an option? Hire a good lawyer to review it and find the loophole. There has to be one — there always is.

And until that can be done, INDYCAR needs to get its act together and treat the fans who are now relying on Race Control for information as if they are royalty — there should be uninterrupted radio coverage, up-to-the-second timing and scoring, and a PR person dedicated to providing updates via Twitter until his or her thumbs burn off.

This is the least that fans deserve. And if they don’t get it, they might very well walk away.

Regarding the lack of iRacing.com ads on the main RaceControl site for Champion level members….I am a Champion level member, and I still saw the random ads. The only way I could avoid hearing them was by muting the audio on RaceControl and using the direct link to IMSRN on livestream that Steph so graciously provided on twitter.

I am deaf so having audio and no video effectively cuts me out of the viewing all together. I have Versus on TV but I watch on the computer with timing and scoring and when on the road, which I am a lot during the summer. Why isn’t it important to Versus to build a loyal fan base?

Agree completly! I am terribly dissapointed with the “New” Indycar Nation. Not only are we paying more for Champion Level, but we are getting less for our money. The little track map showed the cars out on track while the listing had the car in the pits… If it wasn’t for the IMS radio coverage, it would have been totally worthless.
I am also very dissapointed in the fact that the qualifications won’t be covered on any network. I can watch As… ooops Nascar, Formula 1, Airplane races, unicycle races, whale races, but not the Season Opening Qualifications for Indycar? Indycar is not going to draw any new fans like this!

Personally, the lack of a quality T&S site will push me away from following INDYCAR as much as I have in the past year. I have typically followed all of the on-line sessions and then used the online streaming/T&S to enhance the TV.

So far this weekend the T&S has been a joke and I have found there is no reason to follow qualifying with the site because it is so far behind the actual action. Also, with the T&S lag being so bad there is no reason for me to watch the race live. I can DVR it and skip the commercials plus since there isn’t a online component to sync with I can go about my day and watch on my time.

PS… I watched some of the F1 online streaming. It was pretty impressive no re-buffering and in-tune with Will Buxton’s tweets. Too bad I’m not a big F1 fan.

One thought about the radio feed…it could be helpful but the radio guys need to understand they are doing radio and no one outside of the track is seeing any video. They need to give more position/timing updates rather than talk about Davey’s sponsorship/races for the upcoming year.

Haha, it’s really to cry over, not laugh … i noticed the same during practice session on friday – i listened maybe for half an hour? but heard basicly nothing from the track, got better updates from twitter…

Thanks for that Stef. Could not agree more. The coverage going into 2011 is a total embarrassment to a series that purports to have “the best drivers in the world”! I do, however, think the blame rests pretty securely on NBC/Comcast’s shoulders. Very seriously doubt Versus is calling the shots any longer.

I too was disappointed to see there was no video stream for practice or qualifying. I first thought IndyCar must be trying to save money. Then after reading it was legally restricted by Versus(and parent company). It’s another poor decision like ESPN did to ALMS did last week for their opener, 12Hours of Sebring; live ONLY via ESPN360.com I guess being able to watch a live race ANYWHERE is better than the 90minute highlight reel on ABC the day after. They had complaints of the opposite problem; not enough persons with highspeed connections to watch on a PC’s tiny screen. At least the St Pete race will be live and available to everyone in front of a “old fashioned” TV…

I saw some numbers somewhere that 8 million people watched NCAA basketball on TV during a specified period, while 27 million watched on some form of internet-connected device. OVER THREE TIMES more people. Will soon come a time when TV is just another thing you do on the Internet – they won’t be viewed as separate. At the very least, NBC/Comcast could have demanded Indycar.com charge a fee for video streaming and collected the proceeds while also collecting data on numbers of viewers, etc. I fear the TV ratings won’t raise enough to justify this blackout, and IndyCar will have lost fans as a result. A lose-lose situation and a step back in technology, marketing, image and saturation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if fans who have Versus access make a statement by turning off their sets, or at very least watching a pirated stream somewhere. There are just too many people peeved off by this.

This is going to really hurt drivers looking for sponsorship. It’s kinda tough for the radio guys to read every sponsor name on every car on every lap as they go by…something that the sponsors are expecting to get when they write those checks.

I’ve always loved this sport but the business side is what keeps the wheels turning on the pavement. These guys seem to be completely lost on the goals of the sponsors that pay the bills.

I’d like to see NBC–in conjunction with Indycar–fix this problem. I think it’s important for the future success of the series to provide proper internet coverage of the series. And I confident that something will eventually be done.

But I don’t think it’s the most horrible thing in the world, or even the most important priority for Indycar. And I won’t stop watching Indycar racing in protest.

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